Mowing machine



W. F. KOCH.

MOWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 3, i919.

Patented NOV. 4, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Wz'tizewea' W. F. KOCH.

MOWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 3. i919.

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MOWIN G-MACHIN E.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 4, 1919.

Application filed January 3, 1919. Serial No. 269,439.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, F. K0011, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Hill side, in the county of-Custer and State of' Colorado, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Mowing-Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to. harvesters, and more specially to mowers, andthe object of the same is primarily to produce a simple machine of thistype.

An additional object is to afford the neces sary adjustments.

Finally, due consideration has been given to the weight of parts andtherefore the cxpense.

.Details are set forth below,and in the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation with the rear wheel removed, being a sectionon the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a detailed section on the hue 3-3 of Fig. 1. w

The tongue one is attached directly to the body 2 which is herein shownas a substantially triangular casting mounted upon a sleeve 3 throughwhich passes themaln axle 4. On the latter are mounted the wheels 5 and6, either of which may be provided with a ratchet to permit the machineto turn corners, although this simple expedient isnot illustrated. Thedrivers seat is shown at 7 in Fig. 2 and is omitted in Fig. 1. I willhere say that the hub of the wheelu6 may be connected with the drivingor basket gear described below by means of a clutch if desired and thisclutch would occur at the point 8; but as the same is well known I haveomitted it from the drawing and will describe this gear as mounteddirectly upon said hub.

From a block 10 mounted on the axle 4 a pair of bars lead forwardly anddownwardly as at 11 in Figs. 1 and 3 and from a second block anotherpair of bars 13 lead forwardly I and downwardly beneath the body 2 asseen in Fig. 2, the front ends of all these bars be-. ing connected by across bar or sleeve 14 and the entire structure constituting a skeletonframework having an oblique brace 15. Pivoted on a pin or shaft 16through said sleeve 14 is a casting 17 to which at 18 is hinged therunner 19 supporting the cutting apparatus broadly designated by thenumeral 20.

Adjustment ofthe plane of the cutting apparatus is effected by means ofan arm 21 rising from th casting 17 and connected by a link 22 with thelower end of a hand lever23 which may be mounted on any appropriatesupport such as a body 101' the axle, but which must stand adjacent thedrivers seat 7. Then now this lever is manipulated, the entire castingand with it the "runner and cutting apparatus are turned .pivotallyaround the pin or shaft 16 in a manner which will be clear.

Adjustment of th height of the cutting apparatus is effected as follows:A triangular plate 31 has its lower end mounted on the shaft 16 justinside the casting 17 and its front corners connected by a draft rod 34with the tongue or pole 1. Its rear corner is connected by a link 35with a bell-crank lever 36 pivoted at 37 to thebody 2, and the upper armof this lever is connected by another link 32 to a hand lever 33 pivotedon a suitable support and also standing in reach of a driver sitting onthe seat 7. When new this lever is manipulated, the forward arm of thebell-crank lever raises the link 35 which in turn raises the plate 31and pin or shaft 16 and casting 17, the plate turning a little on saidpin by reason of the fact that it is connected by the draft rod 34 withthe pole or tongue. If the arms of the bellcrank be proportioned aboutas seen in Fig. 2, a comparatively small movement of the hand lever 33will raise the runner 19 and the cutting apparatus 20 completely off theground and out of action. The skeleton framework consisting of pairs ofbars 11 and 13 connected by the sleeve 14- will be raised by thisadjusting mechanism, since the bell crank lever is pivoted at 37 on thebody.

The driving mechanism for the cutting a paratus has been constructedwith the idea of simplicity, lightness, and cheapness. The basket gear40 is mounted on (or, as above suggested clutched to) the hub of onewheel and has a beveled ring of teeth 41 aroundits periphery. These meshwith a bevel pinion 42 at the upper end of a hub 43rotatably space aswell mounted on an upright pivot 44 whose lower end is carried in ablock 45 on the main axle 4 as seen in Fig. 3, and whose. upper end isbraced as shown at 46 in the other views. Fast on the lower end of thehub is a large gear 47 which drives a pinion 48 at the upper end of whatwell may be called a crank shaft. The latter passes down through abearing in the block 10 and its lower end carries a crank which isherein shown as a disk 50 whose crank is in the shap of a wrist pin 5Ldepending therefrom asseen in Fig. 3. WVhile any suitable connectionbetween the driving mechanism and the sickle bar may be employed, Iprefer to use a rock lever 52 pivoted at 53 beneath the lowermost of theleft hand bars 11 and slotted at its rear end 54 to engage said crank orwrist pin; and th front end of this lever is connected by a link 55 withthe sickle bar of the cutting apparatus, preferably by means of a pivotjoint connection 56 as seen in Fig. 1 so that the cutting apparatus maybe turned up alongside the machine on its hinge 18 as is often desirablein mowers.

Rotary movement of the basket gear is communicated through the pinion42, hub 43 and large gear 47 to the pinion 48 of the crank shaft, andfrom the crank of the latter power is communicated through the rocklever and link 55 to the sickle bar of the cutting apparatus which iscaused to reciprocate rapidly by means of the relative size of the gear47 and the small pinion 48 which it drives. Therefore, as the machineprogresses and the main wheel 6 drives the gear, the sickle bar isreciprocated in a manner which will be clear. Meanwhile adjustmentsarepermitted as described above. If a clutch be inserted at the point 8 assuggested, the driving mechanism can be thrown out of action immediatelyat any time the operator desires; but the same results could be attainedby disconnecting the link 54 at one end or the other and permitting thecrank shaft and rock lever to run idly. It will be clear however, thatthis machine is one of simplicity, and the fact that it includes so fewparts reduces its weight and its expense.

Attention is invited to the fact that the use of a basket gear so-calledmounted on or connected with the hub of one wheel, and driving a pinionfrom its periphery, permits a rather large gear 47 to fit into saidbasket and effects a considerable saving of as weight. Moreover, allparts are opened and readily accessible, and dirt or .dust may fall outof them rather than collect within them.

The foregoing description and drawings have reference to the preferredform of my invention. It is to be understood that I may make certainchanges in construction, arrangement and combination of parts, ma-

terials, dimensions, et certera, expedient and fall within the scope ofappended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a device of the characterdescribed, the combination of a main axle having supporting wheels atits ends, a horizontally extending tongue having a triangular body fixedupon its inner end and mounted upon said axle, of a plurality of pairsof bars connected at their inner ends to blocks which are pivotallymounted upon said axle, a transversely extending cross bar connectingthe ends of said pairs of bars, an obliquely extending brace connectedto said tongue at the rear brace, the forward ends of said braces beingbrought together and connected to one end of said cross bar, an uprightpivot mounted upon said axle, the inner end of said second mentionedbrace being connected to the upright pivot for reinforcing the same, acutting means hinged on the remaining end of said cross bar, and drivemeans mounted upon said axle and said upright pivot and being connectedto said cutting means for driving the same.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a main axlehaving supporting wheels at its ends, a basket gear connected to one ofsaid wheels to be driven simultaneously therewith, a supporting hubmovable upon said axle, an upright pivot carried by said hub and havinga beveled gear meshing with said basket gear, said beveled gear beingconnected to a larger gear, a pinion meshing with said large gear andhaving a disk provided with a wrist pin, a lever pivoted upon saidsupporting frame and having a slotted end receiving said wrist pin, anda link connecting said lever to said cutting means, whereby as saidbasket gear rotates, rotary motion will be imparted to said gears andpinions so that the lever will be oscillated and the link will bereciprocated for driving the cutting means.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of an axle havingsupporting wheels, a frame having a supporting tongue, bars connected attheir forward ends by a transverse bar, a casting pivotally mounted uponsaid transverse bar, cutting means hingedly mounted upon said casting,whereby the cutting means may be swung vertically to an inoperativeposition when desired, driving means connected to the cutting means foroperating the same, a triangular plate pivotally mounted upon saidtransverse bar, a link connected to one corner of said plate and to saidtongue, a bell crank lever pivotally mounted upon as may prove the saidframe, and having'a link connecting its 130 end thereof, a second end toan opposite corner of said triangular In testimony whereof I affix mysignature plate, means for swinging said bell-crank in presence of twoWitnesses. lever, whereby the bell-crank lever will pull upwardly uponsaid plate to swing the same WILLIAM KOCH 5 upwardly and lift thetransverse'cross bar Witnesses:

upwardly to lift the cutting means to a de- HARRY HOWARD,

sired height. J OHN T. MONEELY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O.

